The No. 2 seed New England Patriots open their Super Bowl title defense this upcoming weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. A first round bye week is just what the Patriots needed because of so many key injuries. The Patriots have critical injuries across the board, so fans are waiting anxiously to see who will be playing on Saturday.

Here are some updates on the Patriots injured players.

Julian Edelman

Julian Edelman is the one who moves the chain for the Patriots. Without him, they are in huge trouble because Edelman is a master in the slot area. He broke his foot back in Week 10 against the New York Giants, and he hasn't played a single game since. The Patriots are 3-4 since the Edelman injury. As of now Edelman is listed as "probable" for Saturday's game, and that's a great sign for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Without Edelman, it's going to be extremely difficult to beat the Chiefs passing rush led by Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.

Rob Gronkowski

When healthy, he's the best tight end in the NFL. Rob Gronkowski can take over a game unlike any other tight end in this league, but he has been dealing with a knee injury. Gronkowski was limited in practice this week, but he is expected to play. According to the Boston Herald, Gronkowski missed practice on Tuesday because of that knee and was limited on Wednesday. It looks like Gronkowski is going to play, but there's no telling how up to speed he's going to be. Because the Patriots have had so many offensive line injuries lately, Gronkowski is being asked to block now more than ever.

Chandler Jones

A bit of an odd situation we have here. Defensive end Chandler Jones' body had a negative reaction to a substance that is not illegal in the state of Massachusetts. He was admitted into the local hospital, but Jones was present at Patriots practice the very next day. Jones has also been dealing with a toe injury, which was serious enough to keep him from playing against the Dolphins in Week 17. Jones led the Patriots in sacks this year with 12.5. He has a big responsibility ahead of him to get to Alex Smith. It looks like Jones will be suiting up for Saturday.

Sebastian Vollmer

This is a big one. As mentioned earlier, the Patriots offensive line is hurting, especially with Nate Solder out and on injured reserve. Vollmer missed the final game of the regular season against the Dolphins in which the Patriots surrendered the No. 1 seed to the Denver Broncos. Currently, Vollmer is listed as "probable." Vollmer has a huge responsibility this weekend against the Chiefs pass rush. If Vollmer can't go or if he's not 100 percent, Brady may be in for a long day.

Danny Amendola

Despite playing 14 games and putting up nearly 650 receiving yards this year, you can tell Danny Amendola is in pain. He hasn't had a 100-yard game since November, and he didn't finish the season with the same off-the-line quickness that we're used to seeing. Amendola's knee injury doesn't appear to be serious, and he too is listed as "probable" for Saturday's game. Amendola has been practicing this week, so that's another positive sign. This could be the healthiest the Patriots receivers have been since the first quarter of the season.

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